Red meat update

Red meat as part of a healthy lifestyle

Red meat is typically defined as beef, lamb, pork and goat but also  includes meat products such as hamburgers and minced beef which have not been preserved.

This separates them from the category of "processed meats" which have typically undergone salting, smoking or curing  processes, or had preservatives added to them.

Red meat when eaten as part of a healthy, balanced diet provides a  valuable source of high quality protein and important micronutrients including B vitamins, vitamin D, iron, zinc, selenium, potassium and
long-chain n-3 fatty acids.  

For these reasons, healthy lifestyle choices should include consuming red meat with The Department of Health advising that adults should consume a balanced diet with up to 70g of lean red meat per day
and up to 500g per week as recommended by The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).

In context, red meat when consumed as part of a health and balanced diet is a valuable source of high quality protein and many micronutrients.

When looking to make lifestyle choices, ideally these should include eating up to 70g of lean red meat per day and up to 500g per week.  Cuts of meats should be lean, or fat should be trimmed, with meat being well
cooked but not charred.

To find out more, please visit www.meatandhealth.com

Christmas pudding --lower fat and lower calorie

Christmas pudding --lower fat and lower calorie I developed this recipe a while ago and it is very popular. It can be made at the last minute or rather the day before Christmas and is both easy and economical not to mention tasty.

Having looked at most luxury style Christmas puddings as well as recipes for homemade ones using traditional ingredients like suet in them I found that most provided around 600 kcals and 80g carbohydrate per portion. So I was given the challenge of developing a lower calorie and carbohydrate pudding. 

 

This is what I made and it makes 8 small portions and each portion provides 204kcal 43g carbohydrate, 1.4 g fat, 0.3g saturated fat and 0.3g salt.

It was quick to make and also cheap. It will not keep so make it only the day before or freeze.

Ingredients

200g dried mixed fruit

100ml water

10 ml red wine

1 tbsp oat bran

I tbsp black treacle

200g self raising flour

1 tsp mixed spices

1 420g can of prunes drained

1 egg

 

Mix the wine and water together (I just washed out a wine bottle)

Pour the dried fruit into a dish

Pour on the wine and water mixture

Leave overnight in the fridge.

This soaking step is important as it plumps up the fruit.

To this mix add the oat bran and return the dish to the fridge

Take the stones out of the prunes and puree—if you have not got a liquidiser a potato masher works well

Add to the mix, then add the treacle and mix through.

Sift together the flour and spices and add to the mix

Finally beat in the egg

If the mix seems a bit dry add a little skimmed milk

Pour into a one and a half pint basin and smooth down

Alternatively pour into 8 small basins

Put in the microwave and cook for 7 minutes on high

Take out of the microwave and let stand for 5 minutes

Cook again for 7 minutes on high and again let stand

Test the inside is cooked with a knife or skewer –if not cooked –then cook again for 5 minutes and allow to stand then check it

 The smaller puddings will cook more quickly and so will a pudding in a shallower basin

 The pudding will not keep for long so freeze it or cook a day or so before required.

 If you do not want to cook in a microwave it can be baked for an hour in a medium oven in a covered basin stood in a bowl of water.

 Serve with custard or ice cream or as it is very low in fat a little brandy butter or my current delight a really nice plain Greek style yogurt

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Diabetes- books for Christmas

Diabetes- books for Christmas--I wrote  a short book on low calorie and low carbohydrate ideas for Christmas and put it on kindle --this is now free.

CHRISTMAS IDEAS FOR DIABETES LOWER CALORIE AND LOWER CARBOHYDRATE

I was inspired to write this short book by patients saying how much they had likes some of the ideas I gave them for Christmas

So I have burnt the midnight oil writing this and have put it on Kindle today

CALORIES ON MENUS

In the UK some caterers put calories on menus and others put information on lighter choices which are lower in calories.

While not everyone finds it of interest it does help those who are watching their intake make choices.

In America "The Food and Drug Administration" is now requiring the nation restaurants and coffee shops to list calories on the items on their menus.

This is information the government agency said can help Americans make healthier eating decisions.

In the UK we have the responsibility deal which people who are providing catering of all types can sign up to as a partner and agree to take steps to assist with improving health.

One of the steps is to provide calorie information on menus so that customers can make informed choices.

The following website has information on this and how to sign up.

https://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/

NUTRITION AND THE BRAIN

I am always interested in the effect of nutrition on the brain plus also on mood and feelings of happiness.
Indeed I write a while ago about nutrition and happiness on an early blog.

I found a nice article on nutrition for the brain on http://carpevitahomecare.com/nutrition-for-brain-health/

The article has 8 tips

1. eat more "superfoods"  --which are the berries and food with a rich antioxidant content. This time of year broccoli, blackberries from the frozen autumn harvest  to mention but a few.
2. heart health and brain health are similar so watch anything that raised harmful cholesterol levels
3. ensure the diet contains foods with rich antioxidant levels
4. have omega 3 fatty acids rather than the more harmful types of fat
5. eat adequate protein
6. have unrefined carbohydrates
7. ensure you have adequate vitamins and minerals especially zinc
8. drink plenty of water

Do have a look at the article

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MILK

Last week I went to a conference on Diet and Sustainability which focused on Dairy.

Really interesting with lots of excellent speakers  and information on how both farmers and the processors of  milk based foods were looking at sustainability and making strides forward.

Although milk from the cow is processed to some extent by heat treatment. Milk is about 87 percent water and 13 percent solids. The  cream (fat portion) of the milk contains fat soluble vitamins. The rest include proteins, carbohydrates (lactose), water soluble vitamins, and minerals. 

Milk products contain high quality proteins. The whey proteins constitute about 18 percent of the protein content of milk. Casein, a protein found only in milk, contains all of the essential amino acids. It accounts for 82 percent of the total proteins in milk and is used as a standard for evaluating protein of other foods. Protein is needed to build and repair body tissues and to form antibodies ( special proteins) which circulate in the blood and help fight infection.

Milk also contains calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. The calcium found in milk is readily absorbed by the body. Phosphorus plays a role in calcium absorption and utilization. Phosphorus is needed in the proper ratio to calcium to form bone. Milk provides these two minerals in approximately the same ratio as found in bone. 

Milk is also a significant source of riboflavin (vitamin B2) which helps promote healthy skin and eyes, as well as small amounts of vitamins A and D.